Rankings in a new system

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

If you are a Taiji instructor and one of your Taiji students wants you to give him a black belt, what will be your respond?

1. I'm a 10th degree BB in Combat Taiji (I'm the founder of this new Taiji system). I will give you a Taiji BB.
2. I will give you a Taiji BB. But you have to know that I don't have Taiji BB myself.
3. I can't give you a Taiji BB because I don't have Taiji BB myself.

The concern is, if you start a new system, do you just give yourself a 10th degree BB (style founder)?

Personally, similar to 1. I will say I'm founder of the system, but not give myself a belt within the system. If it's an offshoot of an existing system, I give myself the belt that I had in the style it offshoots from.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I like to think I have and am always refining our program. We have not changed our original belt system with nine Gup ranks and nine Dan ranks. I have 'automated' the testing process so that the testing board uses tablets to assess the student's performance, and the tester can see the results in real time (after the test is over of course, no phones on the workout floor, no exceptions). After testing, we have a Q&A session with open and honest remarks. I go out of my way to have the board talk to people one on one as well. Yes, we do fail someone if their performance warrants it. This would be a person we pay special attention to post-testing.

Profit. It is too often seen as the devil in MA's discussions. I first have to acknowledge that my situation is different from most since I outright own the property (two strip malls) where our schools are located. But I run them no different from a renter's relationship. If a person wants to operate in a brick and motor building/room, then profit absolutely, positively must be a part of the equation. The curve usually goes something like this: Start out operating at a loss (this is where most schools fail), breaking even (oftentimes mis-interpreted), and operating in the black (this can vary wildly). I think most schools operate in the breaking even category because not all costs of operating are fully weighted.
Since I interpret your 'for profit' query as a school that is standing on its own, paying the bills and then some, I will focus here.
For arguments sake, I will use the terms 'blue collar' and 'white collar' as describing schools. A blue-collar school is in a for-profit business in an average retail area. A white-collar school is a for-profit business that has exclusivity and is more of a private entity. Each type has their positives. I try hard to pull the positives into my business. We do privates, but only for competitors. I am Not into privates with someone who does not want to be part of a regular class.

You will not be selling a product you are selling a service. There are a few legal and ethical differences here, so you need to study up on your area and leverage this for all it is worth.
Kids. I know of SO many schools that are extremely lopsided and kid heavy. This usually results in unhappy instructors and management headaches, and I know of more than a few schools that have failed because of drama or sketchy goings on.
Here is a little secret. I have Never advertised for kids. This is largely because we have had kid's programs in our school system and as a P.E. elective for over 25-years (note this is work Outside the school walls). Once they start coming to class, kids will keep coming to a good program. They are free marketing to get access to the parents/adults. This is where I focus my energy. Think of it as a big, ever-changing wheel that is hard(ish) to get rolling, but once started it is mainly downhill from there.
I have diversified my classes over the years, but it has all stayed within our style(s) and competition. There is a modicum of variance within, but we basically have a kid's class, adult's class, and a competitor's program. Yes, the competitor's program is an additional fee because there are more hours of training involved.
You have to learn the ebb and flow of sports/exercise related service business. There will times of year when people pour into the school (think New Years resolutions) and times when attendance will drop off (think start of school year).
I don't care if a person wants to buy their own uniform or gear, but I do ask that let me have their uniform screen printed. Yes, shameless promotion.
I offer a fully line of equipment and uniforms that I can almost always sell cheaper than our students can buy online because I sell enough and have great vendor relationships. And usually no waiting for delivery. Go Choi Brothers.
To me, the question is what school model do you want to be? To me, there are mainly three models.
1.) The guy who teaches a few friends at the park. All fine and good but does little so spread the knowledge and MA.
2.) The group that meets at the YMCA. Not a bad to start out and get a core group started, but scheduling can be a real hassle.
3.) Brick & mortar Business. This comes with all the trappings of any services related business. No getting around this.

Which one do you want to be?

I don't have a specific response for you, but agree with most of what you're saying here. I've seen (and trained in) gyms that went under because they weren't focusing on profitability. Which sucks, because those teachers had legitimate skills and were good at transferring those skills, and that got lost because they couldn't figure out the business side of it.

Regarding your never advertise for kids, it soudns like you did. If I understand right, you have an afterschool/school program with likely elementary kids where an instructor goes over there and gives lessons instead of pe? That sounds like the definition of effective advertising to kids to me.

The rest of what you wrote has given me lots to think on, and I appreciate that.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I’d try my very best to devise unambiguous grading criteria for each rank in particular avoiding terms like ‘demonstrates depth of practise’

I agree. The question is how these grades come about (belts, "levels", nothing), and how many there should be.

The grading examiner’s sheet would have tick boxes to indicate the criteria had been fulfilled and a section for further written explanations.

I’d hold a post-grading examiner’s meeting to discuss the results and alter them if necessary and have two non-examiners randomly selected from the seminar attenders to ensure fair play.

I don’t understand this.

Profit should never be factor in promulgating the martial arts at a local level. Covering ongoing costs yes, but the notion of making a profit from the martial arts inevitably leads to corner-cutting, favouring the ‘big payers’ and even the dreaded McDojo.

This might be different in the UK. But for the US, we'd need the business to make some sort of profit in order to continue. If the business lost money, you can't pay for instructors, can't pay for the space, and ultimately no one learns the martial art. If things are even, that works for a time, but the first time there's a downturn or major issue in the area there's no money in the bank so you're in trouble.
If you make a profit, you're prepared for any drops in business, and once that profit becomes enough, you can expand and teach people in more areas.

 

[HighKick]

I don't have a specific response for you, but agree with most of what you're saying here. I've seen (and trained in) gyms that went under because they weren't focusing on profitability. Which sucks, because those teachers had legitimate skills and were good at transferring those skills, and that got lost because they couldn't figure out the business side of it.

Regarding your never advertise for kids, it soudns like you did. If I understand right, you have an afterschool/school program with likely elementary kids where an instructor goes over there and gives lessons instead of pe? That sounds like the definition of effective advertising to kids to me.

The rest of what you wrote has given me lots to think on, and I appreciate that.

I never said we do not do kids programs, I said I never advertise to kids. No Newspaper ads, no social media marketing, nothing. Strictly word of mouth and interest generated from the programs in the public. The after school is for kids up to 8th grade. The P.E. option is purely an elective kids have to Choose to sign up for. And that is only at the high school.
We also do a lot with displaced kids and troubled families (all for free.) Believe me when I tell you it took a Lot of work to get it going, and a lot of talented and committed people to keep it going for over two decades. This part of the business operates as a 501 (c)(3) in the latter: "fostering national or international amateur sports competition, or preventing cruelty to children". It takes a lot and being honest, it is seldom operating in the black.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I never said we do not do kids programs, I said I never advertise to kids. No Newspaper ads, no social media marketing, nothing. Strictly word of mouth and interest generated from the programs in the public. The after school is for kids up to 8th grade. The P.E. option is purely an elective kids have to Choose to sign up for. And that is only at the high school.
We also do a lot with displaced kids and troubled families (all for free.) Believe me when I tell you it took a Lot of work to get it going, and a lot of talented and committed people to keep it going for over two decades. This part of the business operates as a 501 (c)(3) in the latter: "fostering national or international amateur sports competition, or preventing cruelty to children". It takes a lot and being honest, it is seldom operating in the black.

To me, going into a school and doing a program there is advertising to kids. It's creating an option that's listed in their school curriculum, that they otherwise would not have known of and exposes them to y'all. I'm not suggesting in any way that's a bad thing, or that you're doing any extra advertising, but that in itself is a form of advertising.

I actually think it's a pretty good business model, and a lot better than what most schools have. I remember being an amazing basketball and volleyball player, but spending most of gym just standing in place because the 'jocks' knew they were the best and didn't care to find out otherwise. And I didn't care enough to do the same; if other sports were offered I'm sure that would have been different.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I never said we do not do kids programs, I said I never advertise to kids. No Newspaper ads, no social media marketing, nothing. Strictly word of mouth and interest generated from the programs in the public. The after school is for kids up to 8th grade. The P.E. option is purely an elective kids have to Choose to sign up for. And that is only at the high school.
We also do a lot with displaced kids and troubled families (all for free.) Believe me when I tell you it took a Lot of work to get it going, and a lot of talented and committed people to keep it going for over two decades. This part of the business operates as a 501 (c)(3) in the latter: "fostering national or international amateur sports competition, or preventing cruelty to children". It takes a lot and being honest, it is seldom operating in the black.

To me, going into a school and doing a program there is advertising to kids. It's creating an option that's listed in their school curriculum, that they otherwise would not have known of and exposes them to y'all. I'm not suggesting in any way that's a bad thing, or that you're doing any extra advertising, but that in itself is a form of advertising.

I actually think it's a pretty good business model, and a lot better than what most schools have. I remember being an amazing basketball and volleyball player, but spending most of gym just standing in place because the 'jocks' knew they were the best and didn't care to find out otherwise. And I didn't care enough to do the same; if other sports were offered I'm sure that would have been different.